John Carroll commentary: GOP must learn art of compromise

Well, the election has come and gone, and the only thing close to 47 percent is Mitt Romney's share of the popular vote, which makes me wonder if 47 percent of all voters really believe that the rich should get a free ride on the backs of the middle class.

What happened to the closest election in years that the pollsters were predicting? Some of them were even talking about the possibility of a tie vote in the Electoral College. I find it hard to believe that every pollster got it wrong, or that the candidates on the Republican side buried their heads in the sand to avoid the bad news, but obviously the readers of the tea leaves messed up big time on this one.

It's possible that people just got so sick of pollsters calling that they just lied in answering the questions. I know I told a pollster that I was a 40-year-old divorced Jewish lesbian who had served in the military and had voted for McCain in '08 and planned to vote for Mitt this time. (It's amazing how much you can get away with on a robocall.)

One of the things that is happening as a result of the election is a lot of gnashing of teeth by conservative leaders, with liberals piling on as well. I hear things like "the Republican Party is too white, too old, and too male, and if it doesn't reinvent itself it will become extinct." While this may have been a contributing factor, I think the real reason they lost was because they were too extreme. People saw and understood that they were unwilling to compromise on any issues, and in my opinion the voters sent a clear message that they want an end to the gridlock in Washington. If it wasn't for their all or nothing attitude towards people who disagree with them - and their abdicating control to the tea party - and, come to think of it, their ties to the rich and Fundamentalist Christians, they might have won the election, but these were massive hurdles to overcome, not mere speed bumps.

I believe that at its core the party stands for fiscal responsibility, limited government intrusion in our lives, and a strong national defense. This is an area where most people can agree in principle and work out details that satisfy each other's needs. But if the party takes the stance that any new taxes are a non starter, then they will be writing their own obituary. For the sake of the country, I hope they engage in principled negotiations to solve the problems our country faces. Anything less would be suicidal.

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John Carroll commentary: GOP must learn art of compromise

Well, the election has come and gone, and the only thing close to 47 percent is Mitt Romney's share of the popular vote, which makes me wonder if 47 percent of all voters really believe that the rich

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